United Airlines faced a significant disruption Wednesday evening when a technology glitch forced a ground stop on all mainline flights headed for several major hubs, including Chicago, Newark, San Francisco, Denver, and Houston. According to NBC Chicago, the issue began just after 5 p.m. and was centered around the system that handles flight information and other operations like flight weight and tracking. The ground stop affected travelers at the originating airports, starting approximately at 6:30 p.m., with flights out of O'Hare in Chicago witnessing an average delay of 120 minutes.
The halt was not a cybersecurity-related concern but originated from a fault within United's weight and balance system, as the airline confirmed. "Due to a technology issue, we are holding United mainline flights at their departure airports," United said in a statement obtained by ABC News. They assured passengers that they are now working to quickly restore normal operations and expect to slowly resolve any residual delays.
As the night progressed, the airline managed to resolve the underlying technology issue, albeit a ground stop remained in place for some time at the affected airports. The specific nature of the technological mishap was not detailed to the public, but a spokesperson for United Airlines informed NBC Chicago, "The underlying technology issue has been resolved, and, while we expect residual delays, our team is working to restore our normal operations."
More than 1,000 flights were delayed and over 40 were canceled due to the outage, as reported by ABC News. The FAA was duly aware of the situation and noted that the disruption was specific to United Airlines and did not impact the broader air traffic control systems. As United worked to ameliorate the situation, the airline also committed to covering meals and hotel accommodations for those passengers impacted by the stop. "Safety is our top priority, and we'll work with our customers to get them to their destinations," United emphasized in a statement.
While the ground stops didn’t affect United Express flights or those already airborne, significant disruptions were felt throughout United's network, leading to a night of headaches for passengers and staff alike. U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy confirmed the issue was confined to United's operations and was distinct from the overall air traffic control infrastructure. For those still facing delays, the airline ensured they are in touch with customers to facilitate their eventual journey to their destinations.
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